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The team from Charity Navigator, the nation's largest independent charity evaluator and leading donor advocate, shares their thoughts on emerging nonprofit-sector issues and offers tips to better inform your intelligent giving decisions.

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

School Fundraisers: Are They An Efficient Way To Support Our Schools?

The short answer, as WSOC TV investigates in the following video, is "No!" That's because often these fundraisers are run by outside, for-profit firms that keep a large percentage of what they raise. Even more troubling, is that many parents are reporting that it is nearly impossible to find out just what that percentage is.

So, parents out there, what do you do when these appeals come home, often promising the kids big prizes if they sell, sell, sell? I can tell you that in my house, my kids have learned not to even bring those packages home. They know that I don't support the messaging that comes with the prize packs- that fundraising isn't about giving, but rather about what you can get out of it. And they've learned that we're not going to pester our neighbors and loved ones into buying chocolate that their waistlines don't need or into buying wrapping paper that's ten time the cost of that found at the dollar store. Instead, we cut out the middleman and make a direct contribution to the PTA / sports team and get on with our day.